Introducing the Other Catholics

[Michie]

So, you’ve been digging into the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the encyclicals of Pope St. John Paul II, and maybe even the documents of Vatican II, and you keep coming across references to the “Eastern tradition,” the “Eastern Catholic Churches,” and the “Eastern lung of the Catholic Church.”

Or maybe you’ve been reading articles about events in Ukraine, the Middle East, or the current Synod of Bishops and you keep seeing these guys with big beards, big cassocks, and strange (but freakin’ awesome) hats.

These are all Orthodox bishops, right?

Actually, no.

Those bishops, archbishops, and patriarchs are Eastern Catholics!

They’re just as Catholic as you, your parish priest, your bishop, and the Pope himself. They’re in communion with the Bishop of Rome and the Roman Church. They just do Catholicism differently.

I would know, because I’m one of them… Well, not a bishop or priest. Just an Eastern Catholic guy.

Who are the Eastern Catholics?​

Continued below.

Introducing the Other Catholics

There's a whole group of other Catholics who aren't Roman! This article will introduce you to the 23 Eastern Catholic particular churches, the liturgical rites they celebrate, and the freakin' awesome hats their bishops wear.

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[Bob Crowley]

I hadn't realised there were so many "churches" within the Catholic Church. I'd heard of the Eastern Rite Catholics, and simply by meeting someone a few years ago became aware of a Maronite Church in another suburb where they speak Arabic in some of the masses. If I remember rightly the lady originally came from Lebanon (she was one of the customers of the transport company I was driving for at the time).

There's a Syro-Malabar Catholic Church quite close to us which appears to be mainly Indian, probably hailing from the Indian state of Kerala. I think they claim lineage back to St. Thomas the Apostle. According to their tradition he went to India and was martyred there.

They seem to have a few festivals as they often decorate the church and surrounding car park, fence line etc.

St. Thomas | Apostle of Jesus, India Missionary

St. Thomas, ; Western feast day December 21, feast day in Roman and Syrian Catholic churches July 3, in the Greek church October 6), one of the Twelve Apostles. His name in Aramaic (Teʾoma) and Greek (Didymos) means “twin”; John 11:16 identifies him as “Thomas, called the Twin.” He is called Judas

www.britannica.com